Previous Fora / 2013
KURODA, Reiko
Tokyo University of Science
ex-VP of ICSU, SAB of UN SG on global sustainability
Reiko Kuroda graduated from Ochanomizu University and her obtained M.Sc and Ph.D. from the Graduate School of The University of Tokyo in chemistry. She worked in the Department of Chemistry and later of Biophysics, at King’s College London as a post doc and later as a research fellow/honorary lecturer. She then obtained a permanent position at the Institute of Cancer Research (UK). She went back to Japan to take up a position of Associate Professor, and later became a full Professor, in the Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, before moving on to her current position at the Tokyo University of Science. She had and has many governmental and international appointments, including a member of CSTP, an advisory board to the Prime Minister on science and technology policy (2001-7), the vice president of the International Council for Science (ICSU) (2008-11), and the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO. She received an honorary professorship from the Sichuan University, Chengdu, China and an Honorary Doctorate from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. She is a member of the Science Council of Japan as well as a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
ABSTRACT
14:00-15:30 26 NOVEMBER
PLENARY SESSION VI. “THE FUNDAMENTAL ROLES OF SCIENCE IN INNOVATION”
Basic science and innovation for human welfare and global sustainability
The 21st century faces interrelated global issues, such as resources/energy/water depletion, loss of biodiversity, environmental deterioration, spreading epidemic, climate change, etc. These are urgent problems and a transition to a safe and prosperous future must be achieved sooner. Innovation through scientific/technological breakthrough is vital for tackling these global issues and ensuring global sustainability.
Science generally makes progress through accumulation of incremental improvements achieved by the endeavour of many scientists and engineers. It is rare but science also makes a quantum jump, a leap, through
fundamental scientific discoveries, that creates new platforms for technology, and eventually changes our societal structures or our understanding of what human being/life is. They often start from curiosity-driven basic sciences,
which require creativity.
However, being creative and being innovative are not the same thing. How to produce scientific breakthroughs and how to bring them to life, so that they can be used for human welfare and global sustainability? Here innovation systems are important. Scientific innovation is not always a linear process starting from basic to translational and applied science stages, and it often involves interplay back-and-forth between basic, translational and applied research stages or a spiral way.
Innovation is brought about by highly diversified teams. Science innovation systems today are becoming increasingly international, with groups of different countries bringing specific expertise to the innovation process. Think/collaborate globally and act locally” must be the essential attitude particularly for global sustainability.